Turtle Beach Stealth 600

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There are often serious debates about the necessity of a headphone set for your Xbox One or PS4, and when people decide it is important – paramount, in my opinion if you wish to game online with friends – the discussion over what needs to be included, and what price you should pay, often leaves consumers going crazy. With so many headsets available on the market, it is sometimes hard to decide which one is best for you. On GamesReviews, we have looked at a number of great headsets over the years, and they almost always perform admirably. What we aim to do is provide you with the best information possible, and allow you to decide, with our feedback. True Wireless connectivity to the Xbox One is something you won’t find in many headsets, yet the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 has that built in standard. Is it worth dropping $100 on this unit? Read on for our thoughts.

Headset Design and Key Features

The design of the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset is typical for what you’ve seen from Turtle Beach in the past, and there really isn’t any wow factor here that would make you stop and look at them on the store shelves. That being said, I’m a fan of the classy, black dominate look of the Stealth 600, highlighted in places with the Xbox Green we’ve come to know and love. It’s a good look for everyone, and strips the headset of the (in my opinion) useless LED lights available on so many competitors models.

The patented cloth ear cups are back on this Turtle Beach model, and while I do prefer the leather / pleather cups that many other companies are using, these are still average, if not slightly above average in comfort, key for long gaming sessions. Turtle Beach has been paving the way for glasses wearers by altering their earcups around where the average person’s glasses arm would rest, which does make me gravitate to this brand over others. The band along the top is comfortable as well, with a liberal amount of padding keeping the top of your head away from the hard plastic band used to give the headset some structure. Although I will again say I prefer the double band system used in other headsets, the Stealth 600 is, again, average or slightly above average when compared to other $100 setups.

The real feature that makes the Stealth 600 stand out from others in its price range is the true wireless. I’m not talking about a USB dongle plugged into your Xbox, and I’m not talking about a 3.5mm auxiliary cord being plugged into your controller either. The Stealth 600 from Turtle Beach is completely wireless, and has the same pairing button that you’ll find on your Xbox One controllers and remotes. I cannot stress how important of a feature this is to have on an Xbox One headset. I can now handle some home duties – get snacks for my kids, answer the door, etc. – without having to A) take off my headset completely, or B) carry my controller with me. This is true wireless, and although I don’t own the largest house on the block, I can stay connected throughout most of my home.

There are other welcomed features in the Stealth 600 from Turtle Beach. The microphone is muted or unmuted by swinging it up and down towards your mouth. In the upright position, snug against the headset, the device is obviously muted; when you pull it down towards you mouth, the microphone unmutes and allows you to converse with fellow gamers. Not having to fiddle around with a mute button on an ear cup is huge in my opinion, and although Turtle Beach isn’t exclusive in this feature, it’s still another check in the pros column when examining this particular headset.

Sound Quality

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 provides users with a number of different sound modes toggled by a button on the left ear cup. While the PS4 version of the headset will give you voice queues to which mode you are currently using, the Xbox One model only provides tones. I can’t say I really noticed the major differences between the 4 different modes, but settled on Turtle Beach’s patented Superhuman Hearing mode, which I felt was best for my gaming situations.

At the $100 price point, I’m not about to say that the Stealth 600 will outperform headsets in the $150 plus range, but again, we are talking about sound that is average for the price point, if not slightly above average. The stereo surround sound is a nice touch, and seems to work really well. It was most noticeable for me when it came to voices, as I could tell from which direction they were coming. I have not yet used this headset is a shoot-out heavy title like Call of Duty, but should have that opportunity soon, at which point I’ll report back on the sounds of bullets, bombs, and the like.

When reviewing headsets, I’ll often not ask the question of “is my chat clear?” as I think it sometimes pushes people to respond a certain way. In the past, I’ve had people comment on my voice clarity, and once again, I was given that compliment over the weekend. Anytime someone goes out of their way to comment on the clarity of your voice, you know you are using a product that will be great for online interactions. Is Turtle Beach the only company to produce a great microphone? No, but again, if it wasn’t clear, it becomes a problem when deciding whether to recommend or not recommend this product.

Conclusion

Everything the Stealth 600 does is average for a $100 headset, if not slight above average in a few key areas, including microphone clarity and comfort – especially around glasses. The real selling feature here is the ability to wirelessly – legitimately, without cords to the controllers or dongles in your Xbox One – connect your headset to your Xbox One unit and get actual, wireless audio and communication. For long gaming sessions, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 will more than do the job, and the 15 hour battery life – which is pretty accurate in my own testing – is easily long enough that you won’t need to plug in your headset daily just to play your games. At roughly $100 USD, we still highly recommend the Stealth 600 headset for your Xbox One!

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Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.